OPTIMIZING THE POTENTIAL FOR TELEHEALTH IN CARDIOVASCULAR CARE (IN THE ERA OF COVID-19): TIME WILL TELL.

Patel, Parth; Dhindsa, Devinder; Eapen, Danny J; Khera, Amit; Gulati, Martha; Stone, Neil J; Yancy, Clyde W; Rumsfeld, John S; Sperling, Laurence S

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, use of telehealth services had been limited in cardiovascular care. Potential benefits of telehealth include improved access to care, more efficient care management, reduced costs, the ability to assess patients within their homes while involving key caretakers in medical decisions, maintaining social distancing, and increased patient satisfaction. Challenges include changes in payment models, issues with data security and privacy, potential depersonalization of the patient-clinician relationship, limitations in the use of digital health technologies, and the potential impact on disparities - socioeconomic, gender, age-related, and access to technology and broadband. Implementation and expansion of telehealth from a policy and reimbursement practice standpoint are filled with difficult decisions, yet addressing these are critical to the future of healthcare.